After talking to wife, police remain clueless in Pansare murder case

Policemen take Uma Pansare to the site of the crime in Kolhapur. Express.

Police recorded the statement of Uma Pansare (70), wife of veteran communist leader Govind Pansare (84), who was murdered by unidentified persons in Kolhapur on February 16.

Uma, who received bullet injuries in her head, is still recovering and her statement has not given any concrete leads about the assailants, investigators said.

Two motorcycle-borne assailants had followed Govind and Uma Pansare while they were on a morning walk near their residence in Kolhapur around 9 am on February 16. The duo then shot Pansares from close range and fled.

A bullet hit Uma’s head, causing a fracture in her skull for which she needed surgery. Govind Pansare could not recover despite multiple surgeries, and he succumbed on February 20.

Police questioned several suspects, but they were all released after questioning. Kolhapur police was hoping to get clues from Uma as she was the prime witness in the case. When she was discharged, police took the wheel-chair bound Uma to the spot where assailants shot at her. She helped the cops in getting some information like the position of assailants, however, police said she did not reveal anything which helped them in identifying the suspects. She reportedly told the cops that the assailants were young men who approached them asking some address, but had opened fire on them all of a sudden.

“One thing became clear that assailants were speaking Marathi. But nothing more concrete was known. We hope the Kolhapur police is able to trace the assailants. We are worried as a month has passed and still there is no progress in the probe,” Medha Pansare, daughter-in-law of Govind Pansare told The Indian Express Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a senior officer from investigation team said, “We took Uma Pansare to the crime scene and tried get details about the attack and assailants. But we are not been able to talk to her at a stretch because she is still recovering. Whatever information she shared with us is in bits and pieces.”

Nearly 20 teams, including that of the state Anti Terrorism Squad, have been formed for probing the Pansare murder case.

Source:: Indian Express